Farmers Forum staff
TORONTO — The Dairy Farmers of Ontario board recently chose Elmwood-area producer Mark Hamel as their new vice-chair — filling the executive position vacated when Nick Thurler resigned from the board in early December 2022.
Hamel, a board member since 2018, assumes the vice-chair role left open by the departure of Thurler, a South Mountain-area producer. Thurler’s former board seat for Dundas, Stormont and Ottawa-Carleton remains unfilled until a regional election is completed sometime “over the next few months,” according to DFO.
There were no other changes during the board’s internal executive elections that followed DFO’s 2023 annual general meeting on Jan. 19. Murray Sherk was re-elected as chair and Adam Petherick was re-elected as 2nd vice-chair.
Three regional elections also took place after the 2023 annual general meeting (but not in Thurler’s former region): John Wynands, Albert Fledderus and Mark Hamel were re-elected to four-year terms on the board in their respective zones.
The 12-member DFO board acts on behalf of the province’s supply-managed 3,273 milk producers. The organization employs a staff of about 80.
